Homegrown Star Rises

Our Towns

Greater Hartford

June 08, 2004

On the next occasion that Anika Noni Rose stops by to sing at Hartford's Union Baptist Church, church officials might be tempted to sell tickets.

Ms. Rose, whose grandmother Cora Radcliffe is an active member of the congregation, gave new meaning to the slogan ``Hartford's Rising Star'' on Sunday when she won the Tony Award as best featured actress in a musical. She plays Emmie Thibodeaux, the progressive daughter of a black maid, in the Broadway show ``Caroline, or Change.''

This hometown girl who made good is deeply rooted in the Hartford area, and it showed in the reaction to her award.

A 1990 graduate of Bloomfield High School, Ms. Rose credits her freshman-year performance in the school's production of ``Fame'' as the spark that started her on her career as a singer and dancer. Principal Donald Harris described himself as ecstatic. Mr. Harris, another church member, has known Ms. Rose's family for years. He said that he and her former teachers remember Ms. Rose as the kind of student who they knew instinctively was going to be successful.

``Whenever she's in town, she stops by and sings at the church,'' Mr. Harris said.

Broadway's newest celebrity is the daughter of Claudia Rose of East Hartford and Hartford's new corporation counsel, John Rose Jr., who, hours after rejoicing until 3 a.m. arrived at his city hall office to answer a day's worth of congratulatory e-mails and telephone messages.

Mr. Rose noted that his daughter's success did not happen overnight, but was the result of a lot of hard work. Her other credits include an appearance in the Broadway show ``Footloose'' and a starring role in the off-Broadway show ``Eli's Coming,'' for which she won an Obie Award.

Anika Noni Rose's success is a thrill for those who knew her growing up and gives the whole region reason to feel proud.